Stone Giant

Stone giants, called steinjotunen in their own language, were a reclusive and artistic race of giants that lived in underground and mountainous environments.

“We all know of dwarves who fell so deep in love with their craft, or the seeking of treasure or ale, that that they forgot how to live in any other way but in pursuit of it. That's what stone giants do.”
— Elminster

Basic Information

Anatomy

The bodies of stone giants had a gray to grayish-brown skin tone, hair that ranged in a spectrum of dark grays and bluish-grays, and eyes of a silver or steel hue. They also tended to wear clothing that was of a similar color to nearby rocks, which altogether made it easy for their race to blend in with their environment when needed.
Adults averaged about 18 feet (5.5 meters) in height, although fossilized stone giants from the era of Ostoria show that in the past their race was capable of reaching heights of up to 24 feet (7.3 meters). Though thinner and less bulky than fire giants, who were about the same height on average, a stone giant's thicker, heavier flesh made them weigh significantly more, at about 9,000 pounds (4,100 kilograms).

Ecology and Habitats

These giants were typically found living in temperate mountain ranges, caves, or caverns.
Stone giants were powerful enough to survive and make a living in the Underdark in the face of competition. They had a tendency to gather in larger individual groups the deeper the given group was located, but were primarily denizens of the Upperdark, though their numbers were small even there.
They carved their homes out of the rock and had a reputation as good artisans, though they generally maintained an uncaring stance towards other denizens of the Underdark and expected the same stance from the others.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Stone giants' finger bones were used by crafters from the Old Empires to create more powerful versions of rings of strength.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Stone giants had an excellent sense of smell and had infravision sight of up to 200 feet (61 meters). Stone giants were the longest living of the giants and generally considered among their peers to be the wisest of all giant races, despite their low position in the Ordning. And their hearts were known to beat four times slower than that of a Human.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Common given names among stone giants included the following:[32]
Males
Falkh, Hundar, Korlgar, Kuljarn, Sulfulkh, Valgusk, Vorold, and Yulhamur.
Females
Beldra, Gillauga, Gurdis, Moada, Oskra, Ragnara, Rakra, Skarla, Woave, and Zarka.

Major Organizations

Religion

Like all true giants, stone giants worshiped Annam All-Father as their chief deity, but unlike the other races they envisioned him as being an artist whose skills were perfection. Their patron deity among Annam's children was Skoraeus Stonebones, though lesser deities Hiatea and Iallanis were also known to have a significant following among the stone giants.
Priests of Skoraeus felt that their duty was to oversee their society's affairs and ensure that the stone giants as a whole continued to progress towards greater achievements in art and intellectual thought. But in order to accomplish this goal, they believed that their race needed to isolate itself from others, with the exception of individuals who might help expand upon their mastery of craftsmanship.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Stone giants were known to speak the general Giant Language Jotun and their own dialect known as Jotunstein, which was derived from both Jotun and Auld Dwarvish. The written form of this language was known as "Metamorpherie".

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Stone giant family bonds were less important than the bonds between a master and his pupil. The ordering of stone giant society was based upon an individual's artistry and ability to throw rocks.
The strongest stone giant nation was Cairnheim in the Underdark. It was a village located in the western part of the Darklands in the Upperdark inside the Giant's Run Mountains under the rule of the stone giant Lich Dodkong.
Stone giants that spent too much time on the surface, either during their dream quests or as a result of banishment from their communities, became dreamwalkers, driven so far into madness by their isolation to the point that reality itself bent around them.

Lycanthropy

Due to the resilience of their skin, stone giants were known to be immune to all forms of lycanthropy.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Combat

Stone giants preferred to fight using ranged weapons such as boulders, but if forced into melee they wielded gigantic stone clubs. Some were fond of simply flinging their smaller enemies through the air.

History

The stone giant race began with an individual by the name of Obadai, one of the mortal children of Annam All-Father and Othea, who in the kingdom of Ostoria was ceded control of the Underdark. Within this mighty kingdom they created some of the greatest works of giant art. For example, they would regularly carve stalactites and pillars so that they resonated in the wind, thus creating a sort of song that was attuned to whoever stood before them.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Animal domestication was not common among them, though many were known to raise colonies of giant bats as a warning system and source of food. While others have been seen in the company of giant goats and cave bears. Out of all animals they considered purple worms to be the greatest of pests, since they could effortlessly burrow through their homes and destroy prized carvings.

Lifespan

Up to 800 years

Average Height

Male: 18′2″‒19′8″ (5.54‒5.99 m)
Female: 17′5″‒19′0″ (5.31‒5.79 m)

Average Weight

~9,000 lb (4,100 kg)